Commencement Application

All graduating students must submit their commencement application by October 31. If you apply after October 31, a $100 late fee will be charged to your account and your participation is not guaranteed.

Regalia

Your regalia (cap, gown and any other applicable items) will be ordered on a separate website through our regalia provider. Ordering instructions are sent to your Bethel email after you have applied. There is no charge for regalia for undergraduate students. Master's students will be assessed a fee of $20 and doctoral students will be assessed a fee of $30. You may keep your regalia after the ceremony.

Press your gown with a cool iron before commencement. Your cap is to be worn level, not tilted to the side or to the back, with the tassel on the right side for undergraduate students and on the left side for graduate students. Bethel-approved honor cords, medallions, and nursing pins are the only ornamentation to be worn on top of your gown. Corsages, boutineers, leis, heritage stoles, jewelry, or other ornamentation may NOT be worn over your gown during the ceremony.

Commencement Lineup

There is no rehearsal for the commencement ceremony. Instead, you will receive important instructions at graduate lineup. Please arrive at the RC Gym at least 45 minutes prior to your ceremony wearing your regalia. A valuables check for purses, phones, etc. will be available. You will be assigned to a specific row and place in line. Shortly before the ceremony start time marshals will lead you from the RC Gym into Benson Great Hall. If you think you are unable to walk this route, email commencement staff at caps-gs-commencement@bethel.edu to arrange accommodations.

You will be seated with others in your major in the center section on the main floor of Benson Great Hall. At the end of the ceremony, marshals will dismiss the platform personnel, faculty, and then graduates. Guests will be dismissed after the graduates and directed to meet you in the Brushaber Commons for the reception.

Diploma and Academic Requirements

Your diploma will bear your legal name (your name on the date of commencement). There are no exceptions. If you plan to change your name shortly before commencement, contact the Office of the Registrar. You will receive a diploma cover at commencement. You will NOT receive your actual diploma. When you have met all academic requirements and other obligations to the university, the Registrar will post your degree to your transcript and mail your diploma to your permanent address. Allow 4 weeks for mailing after your degree is posted.

Obligations include:

Final Payments

Campus Store Charges

Library charges

Parking Fines

Loan Exit Counseling (if applicable): About 1 month before you graduate, the Office of Financial Aid will send you details about your borrowing history, repayment options, and specific exit instructions. In the meantime, you can visit the National Student Loan Data System, which will provide you with information on your federal student loans.

Photography and Videography

A professional photographer will take individual photos of graduates as they receive their diploma cover on stage during the ceremony. To order your photo, visit www.pictureplace.com (event name is "Bethel") or call 651.426.0232. A videographer will record each ceremony, a free download of the video is available on Bethel iTunesU within a few weeks of the ceremony.

Announcements

Formal commencement announcement cards are available for purchase in the Campus Store.